Abstract
Abstract The cultural ecosystem services (CES) construct has evolved to accommodate multiple worldviews, knowledge systems and conceptualizations of nature and values, including relational and mental health values. Cultural ecosystem services research and practice has mostly focused on cognitive ways of constructing and expressing intangible values of, and relationships with, nature. But our non‐material relationships with nature are not exclusively cognitive: sensory and affective processes are fundamental to how we build, enact and experience these relationships. Building on the core ideas of relational values, embodied experiences and connectedness with nature, we present a simple framework to explore the sensory, affective and cognitive dimensions of human–nature interactions, as well as the settings and activities that frame them. We demonstrate its use in a case study in the Peruvian Andes, where we applied an inductive, exploratory approach to elicit personal imageries and imaginings related to nature, place and recreation. The narratives shared were rich with symbolism and personal sensory experiences, emotions and memories, which the interviewees linked with general assertions about people, place and nature. We discuss the usefulness of such a perspective for CES research, and for human well‐being, environmental justice and landscape management.
Highlights
The narratives shared were rich with symbolism and personal sensory experiences, emotions and memories, which the interviewees linked with general assertions about people, place and nature
People's relational values characterize the appropriateness of how they relate with nature and each other, including the principles, virtues and actions associated with a meaningful and good life (Chan et al, 2016) They include an ethics of care and appreciation that arise from these relationships (Kleespies & Dierkes, 2020) and link closely to notions such as connectedness with nature and sense of place
It is important to point out that sensation, emotion and cognition are integrated in experience and the internal processing thereof, making it difficult determine where one internal process ends and another begins
Summary
The ecosystem services framework, which represents how ecosystems contribute to human well-being through material and non- material benefits, has strongly influenced environmental research, management and policy (Buijs et al, 2018; Droste et al, 2018; Flint et al, 2013; Gould et al, 2020; Kadykalo et al, 2019; Pascual et al, 2017). We posit that exploring this diversity is central to understanding our relationship with nature (and essentially CES or non-material nature contributions to people; Daniel, 2001; Ives et al, 2017; Nisbet et al, 2009; Restall & Conrad, 2015; Russell et al, 2013) Such an understanding can have implications for human well-being, equity and landscape management. For practical analysis, we consider ‘Cognitive experiences’ to be conceptual and reflective processes such as thinking (Clore & Schiller, 2016; Leventhal & Scherer, 1987) These experiences involve values, attitudes, knowledge and beliefs and include memories, aesthetics, spiritual thoughts, nostalgia or inspiration (Farber & Hall, 2007; Ives et al, 2017; Williams & Harvey, 2001). It is important to point out that sensation, emotion and cognition are integrated in experience and the internal processing thereof, making it difficult determine where one internal process ends and another begins
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